Within the Eastern Province.
The sky was clear for thousands of miles.
There were countless sect forces in the Eastern Province, with the Ninth Grade Sect being the lowest and the First-Rate Sect the highest.
Above that, there was the only Holy Land of the Eastern State!
An entity that towered over all of East State's sect forces, without any classification.
The name of that Holy Land...
Qiandi Dao Sect!
At this moment.
Inside the grand hall of the Qiandi Dao Sect.
Dozens of Elders were gathered, each with a very unsightly expression.
"The Wayless heritage of our sect has experienced a break, as several important Cultivation Techniques have all been stolen. Even though some disciples have managed to compile and submit some of the techniques, some obscure yet crucial ones are nowhere to be found..."
"How many Holy Lands have perished throughout history due to the loss of their heritage? Our Qiandi Dao Sect must not follow in their footsteps."
"The Sect Master is in seclusion, what should we do?"
"Don't panic, let's wait for the Great Elder to return first. The Great Elder has already gone to capture that outlaw Zhang San."
"..."
At that moment.
A figure flew into the grand hall.
It was none other than the robed elder, the Qiandi Dao Sect's Great Elder!
The Elders all stood up to pay respects.
"Great Elder!"
The robed elder waved his hand, indicating for everyone to dispense with the formalities.
Seeing the Elders about to question him, he took the initiative to speak.
"The techniques have yet to be recovered, but Zhang San has been captured by me and is now locked in a cage. I've already informed the Sect Master of this matter, and later on the Sect Master will personally handle it!"
"As for what exactly happened, well, I might as well tell you myself."
The Great Elder thoroughly explained the entire sequence of events and the excuses made by Zhang San.
After listening, the Elders were 'furious' to no end.
"This lawless scoundrel really thinks he is someone important?"
"He dares to mock the Great Elder; his crimes deserve death!!"
"To play with the Great Elder like that, he deserves...cough, a severe punishment..."
Observing that the focus of the group was on him being mocked.
The Great Elder had an expression full of black lines. This was a very serious matter, after all.
Your focus is far too off the mark.
Just moments ago everyone was frowning, and now their expressions have eased...
And what's with that guy trying so hard not to laugh that his face turns red?
The theft of the techniques is an extremely serious matter, no??
And yet you still find the mood to laugh?
No... It seems...
These people, they seem to have complaints against this old man.
The Great Elder's eyes widened as he was about to interrogate the group.
Suddenly, a voice came through.
"This Zhang San, he didn't lie."
All the Elders looked up.
A man with a square face, expressionless, and filled with dignity strode in.
This man was none other than the current Sect Master of the Qiandi Dao Sect, Qian Yuan.
All the Elders, including the Great Elder, reined in the peculiar atmosphere in the hall and paid respects to Sect Master Qian Yuan.
"We pay our respects to the Sect Master!"
Sect Master Qian Yuan nonchalantly waved his hand and took his seat at the head of the grand hall, then emotionlessly said, "All dispensed with the formalities."
"I have applied our sect's secret technique on Zhang San and confirmed that he indeed did not lie. The secret manuals of the various major sects, including some from our own sect, have all been sold by Zhang San to a sect named the Wayless Sect–—for a mere eight liang of silver."
Whoosh...
Many Elders were astounded.
Selling so many sect manuals for just eight liang of silver, including the important cultivation techniques of their Holy Land??
It was utterly preposterous!!
No one would believe it if it were told.
Many of the Elders had not yet recovered from their shock.
However, the Great Elder was quick to respond. He asked, "Sect Master! Since this Zhang San did not lie, then where is this Wayless Sect? Could it be that Zhang San's mention of Misty Mountain is also true? But I have already visited the Misty Mountain he spoke of, and there was nothing but empty land there."
The Qian Yuan Sect Master shook his head and said, "According to Zhang San, the Sect Master of the Wayless Sect is a pinnacle existence at the Tribulation Transcending Stage, and it's very likely that the Wayless Sect is a Hidden Sect, perfectly capable of evading even your investigation, Great Elder."
Tribulation Transcending Stage!!
Hidden Sect!!
Upon hearing these two terms,
The many Elders who were already overwhelmed almost knelt down.
A Tribulation Transcending Realmer!!
In this world, the Tribulation Transcendence was already the strongest existence!
Throughout the Eastern State, besides Holy Lands like Qiandi Dao Sect which had one or two Supreme Elders at the Tribulation Transcending Stage, other sects had no one at that level.
This showed how rare Tribulation Transcending Realmers were.
But if it came from a Hidden Sect, that would be normal...
Hidden Sects, as recorded in ancient secrets, because of various calamities that occurred, whether it was a great disaster or an era-dominating genius emerging,
some sects chose to hide from the world, focusing on their cultivation in seclusion, unaffected by mortal affairs, and over the lengthy passage of time gradually faded from public knowledge, hence they were called Hidden Sects.
Without a doubt...
Every Hidden Sect had been tested by time, and they were powerful and mysterious.
To say that a Hidden Sect has a Tribulation Transcendence existence.
It was perfectly reasonable!
"Sect Master, with a Hidden Sect now appearing in the Eastern State, could this pose a threat to our Holy Land's rule?"
"That's not the point, the point is: what is this Hidden Sect's attitude towards our Holy Land of the Eastern State?"
"If possible, let's handle it amicably...," the Elders voiced out, most of them opting to stay on good terms with the Wayless Sect, this 'Hidden Sect.'
With Hidden Sects, one never knew how deep their foundations were. Clashing with them carelessly was not beneficial, it would be better to befriend them instead.
Yet, the Qian Yuan Sect Master shook his head again.
"As of now, we don't even know where the other party is, how can we talk about befriending them? My suggestion is to first send someone to try to contact this Hidden Sect, the Wayless Sect, to ascertain their stance before deciding our next move," the Qian Yuan Sect Master said slowly.
"Indeed, this method is viable."
"But who should we send to make contact with the Hidden Sect?"
The numerous Elders discussed amongst themselves, whispering about who would be the better choice to make contact with the Hidden Sect.
Seeing this, the Great Elder took a step forward, offering himself without hesitation, "Sect Master, let me go!"
The Qian Yuan Sect Master pondered for a moment, then nodded his head, giving his consent.
Yet, one of the Elders muttered, "Sect Master, it's not a good idea to send the Great Elder. His judgment can be played by a lawless ruffian. Sending the Great Elder would be a loss of face for our Holy Land..."
The Great Elder's beard bristled with fury, and he glared at that Elder, looking ready to lash out.
Has it been too long since he had taken action?
How dare someone openly call him foolish??
He wanted to drag that person to the hills behind the sect and bury him! It was time to assert his authority!
The Qian Yuan Sect Master, watching this unfold, frowned and said, "Stop quarreling. Great Elder, prepare to visit the Hidden Sect."
Hearing this, the Great Elder sighed deeply and turned to prepare for his departure.
Alas, the Sect Master still favored that Elder.
In the end, it was a misplaced trust...